Estrellita Castro

Estrella Castro Navarrete known professionally as Estrellita Castro (26 June 1908 in Seville – 10 July 1983 in Madrid) was a Spanish singer and actress. Early career Born to a humble family (her father, born in 1875, was a Galician fisherman; and her mother, died in 1953, was Sebastiana Navarrete Funes) she started singing from an early age and busked around in Sevilla streets. At the age of 11 she attended Realito Music School to learn singing techniques and did Realito's house chores as a way to pay for her lessons. At the age of 12 she performed for the first time for King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia at Sevilla Royal Alcázares. Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, a famous Spanish bullfighter, realized Estrellita's vocal and dancing qualities at a charity festival and gave her a gold coin. Estrellita Castro made her debut at Tronío Theatre in Sierpes Street in Seville but she was bound to perform in the main theatres in Spain, Europe, Latin-America and even the USA. Film career